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Wellsprings of Wisdom Conference: Speakers and Presenters
2005
Dr. Virginia Calvin-Monday June 27th
Beginning in 1972, Calvin held a number of administrative positions with South Bend Community School Corporation, serving as superintendent from 1993 to 2000. Under her leadership, the school corporation moved from a $3 million deficit to an $11 million cash balance; built three new schools and completed an ambitious program of expansion, renovation and renewal at many existing facilities; developed nearly 300 school-community partnerships; initiated a range of programs for at-risk students such as social workers at both secondary and elementary levels, JROTC at the high school level, and an alternative high school; and introduced a full range of school safety measures including school resource officers, closed campuses, student crime stoppers and student/staff ID cards.
Before her appointment as superintendent, she served as acting executive director of curriculum and instruction. In that position, she launched an ambitious, multi-year “Valuing Diversity” program, involving all school corporation employees and various community groups. The program received national recognition in the American Association of School Administrators’ Leadership for Learning Awards Program.
Calvin also served the school corporation as principal of Muessel Elementary School. During her years there, Muessel School was named both a national and state Blue Ribbon school and one of “America’s Best Elementary Schools” by Redbook magazine.
As chancellor of Ivy Tech’s North Central Region, she has focused on moving the college from a career/technical institute to a full-service community college. Under her leadership, credit-hour enrollment has grown by nearly 90 percent across the four-county region, course and program articulations have been expanded with IU South Bend and other four-year institutions, and the region has begun offering purely transferable degree programs in general studies and liberal arts. New programs also have been added in biotechnology, culinary arts, criminal justice, early childhood education, human services, paralegal and other areas.
Before coming to South Bend, Calvin was a special education and elementary education teacher. She earned a doctoral degree in early childhood education, counseling and special education at Texas Women’s University, Denton, Texas; a master’s degree in elementary education and reading at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico; and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi.
Calvin currently serves on the board of directors of the American Red Cross, Goodwill Industries of Michiana Inc., the capital campaign of Hope Rescue Mission, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Michiana, South Bend Community Revitalization District, St. Joseph County Minority Health Coalition, St. Joseph County Parks, Urban League Guild of St. Joseph County, and the public radio station WVPE-FM. She is an ex-officio member of the boards of Firefly Festival and Broadway Theatre League. She also is a member of the Indiana Commission for Women, the National Advisory Committee for New Ventures in Philanthropy, Workforce Investment Board & Advocacy Council, the South Bend Rotary Club, and Delta Kappa Gamma and Alpha Kappa Alpha sororities.
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